It’s well known that being outside among the grass and trees is good for the soul – now, it turns out, it could help stave off dementia.

Spanish researchers have found that spending time in green spaces helps to keep the brain healthy, slowing down any decline in its cognitive ability.

A new study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, demonstrates that the loss of cognitive function that is expected as part of the ageing process is slightly slower in people who live in greener neighbourhoods.

The study

Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health followed 6,500 people living in the UK aged 45 to 68 over ten years.

Their mental functioning was tested three times during that period through assessments of their verbal and mathematical reasoning, verbal fluency and short-term memory, as well as the decline in these functions. Neighbourhood greenspace for each participant was estimated using satellite images.

“Our research shows that the decline in the cognitive score after the 10-years follow up was 4.6% smaller in participants living in greener neighbourhoods”, said lead researcher Carmen de Keijzer.

“Our research shows that the decline in the cognitive score after the 10-years follow up was 4.6% smaller in participants living in greener neighbourhoods,”

Carmen de Keijzer

There is evidence that the risk for dementia and cognitive decline can be affected by exposure to environmental hazards such as air pollution and noise as well as lifestyle factorssuch as stress and lack of exercise, she said.

In contrast, living near green spaces increases physical activity and reduces stress, as well as cutting exposure to air pollution and noise.

Dementia, a growing problem

The proportion of people over 60 years old in the world is expected to nearly double between 2015 and 2050 and the number of dementia cases has been predicted to grow at a similar pace worldwide, the researchers point out.

Although the differences in cognitive decline observed in our study are modest on an individual level, they become much more significant if we consider these findings across the population as a whole”, says Payam Dadvand, who also worked on the study.

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